Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-02
THE DRUMMER BOY.

On the first day of the battle OF Custozxa,
July "a, 1878, about sixty soldiers belonging
To one of the Italian infantry regiments, hav-
ing been sent to occupy an isolated house on
a height, were unexpectedly attacked by two
companies of Austrians, who, firing on them
from different points, barely gave them time
to take refuge in the house and hastily barrl-
cade the doors, leaving, several dead and
wounded in the fields. After ba- Reading the
doors the Italian soldiers hastily ran to the
windows on the first floor, aud began to pour
a steady fire into the assailants, who were
gradually advancing i'll "A semicircle and re-
plying vigorously.
The sixty Italians were commanded by two
subalterns and captain, a tab old fellow,
lean and severe, with white hair and mus
taches; with them there was Sandman
drummer boy, boy not much more than IA
years old, and who scarcely appeared to h-
IL; he was SMALL with an olive brown face,
and two sparkling little deep black eyes. The
captain was directing the defense from a
window on the first floor, while the semicircle
Of the enemy kept closing up.
All at once, the captain, who until then had
been impossible, was seen to show signs of
uneasiness and to stride out OF the room fol
lowed by sergeant. About three minutes
afterward the sergeant came running back
and called the drummer boy, reckoning him
to follow. The boy ran after him up 3
wooden staircase and went with him into an
empty garnet, where he saw the captain, who
was writing with pencil on sheet of paper,
leaning against the window, with well rope
on the floor at his feet.
The captain folded the paper and, looking
with his cold grayish eyes, before which all
the soldiers trembled, into the eyes Of the
boy, said abruptly:
"Drummer boy!" The drummer boy So
luted. The captain said: you've got grit. ="
The boys eyes lighted up Yes, captain, he
answered.
Look down there" said the captain, push
ing him TO the window, 'in the plain, near
the houses of Villafranea, where there Is =
glittering of bayonets Those are our friends,
standing idle. Take this note, catch hold of
the rope, slide down from the window, run
down the hill, go through the fields, reach
our friends and give the note 10 the first off
Ger you see. Chuck away your belt and
An M s ,-uo..,,,- -.
w - "a - - -
geant threw out the rope and grasped one end
of it with both hands; the captain helped the
boy pass backward through the little window
-. =,
your legs"
"Trust me, captain" replied the drummer
ooy, swinging ul'iiSeii ou'
o"op as you ~ uo''A' S"'i o"e '"p''''
agalh' neip'hs Tue sergeant W oo'u 'he Fopo
viewer rear ~
dod heip you
III Ie" moments LIE ooy was Oh 'ot
GROUND; the sergeant ore" up the rope aho
disappeared; thecaptalh sprang 10 the VIII
DOW ana saw tne boy hylhg down the NIL
ne was Already hoping that ne hah sue
ceeded III escaping uhoOseFVeu "neh hVe Oh
SIX httle CLOUDS ol dusO "hicn rose from tus
ground ooth before ana oehiha tns ooS
warned MN tnal ne mao peeh seen oy ehe Aus
trians, VINO were nflng at MN from ene ool
. OF the NH lnose n1tie CLOUDS were ear1i
thrown up by the oulieLs- But the boy con
tlhued 10 run ae predhheck pace AL d
once ne tel-
hllieol roared Ihe captain, oibile us iist
But he mad scarcely SAID the word wheh N
saw the BOY GET up An only taii' III
sahd 20 niltspli' ana oreaChe'i again, ih iac
tbe ooy Logan W run again as tHsI as u
could but he limped. "A sprained ankle,
thought the captain
toe Wy i",i my '0i a" 1'io, 0n1'i MN
anu s'a0 nei,eu ','' l'''o anu ,Non VI oAe INV
run AGAIN. ouE ne Set'iie 70 n.I'iie more ali'
more ia'igue'l, anu every NIUE WINE s'uni
o'er anu p''','eH iol "a ''ionieiD
,'4 -, u, -ds nv ~ S 4,.lt
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ms -. 60 - -, p'. -
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oeio"' VIC I'M 'c''' n',u a-sly u 'e
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A., ~. I'M 80 - o''' s'''
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e " '' ~ summons W ''' OIL
ar. ,.,,, - ,u;,s -;.A,. $1,000
So, a.. -, -. -.
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ainna ,,;,h difinnIt,
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;,, liz ,oot, a,,a ,,o,o.i,,s, ~ e. a.;
nanrHaIf d;a soonndral hn, 7,o IN IT,
horrihls oath hurst from him Gah, tba !,
famone coward he has cat dovn,p In fscl
tho how who's hoad iii ,,o,y ba bod 500
a;oat;,,. - L.. e.iI - IL.
naa,ad o. ;t Ne hoa foIIan b. j., .,o-Dai
his head came into view again, finally h
was lost behind the hedges, and the capital
saw him no more
He then flew downstairs. it was rainin
bullets; the rooms were encountered with til
wounded, some of them reeled about lib
drunken men, catching at the furnitur'
walls and floor were spattered with BLOOD
corpses were lying across the doors; Il
lieutenants arm had been broken by bal
everything was in a whirl of smoke and dus
"Couragem yelled the captain. "Stick
your posts Relief is comingl Courage fC
little while longerp The Austrians ha
drawn nearer yet, their contorted fac
doomed through the smoke; above the raft
of the firing rose their savage cries, insultin,
demanding surrender, threatening slaughte
Occasionally soldier, terror stricken, r
treated from the window; the sergeant dro,
him back. But the defenders fire was slac
ening; their faces showed discouragemeu